Airlines, unions spar over pilot fatigue

Airlines, unions and regulators still don't see eye to eye on the issue of pilot fatigue, The Wall Street Journal reports. The paper reviews multiple instances of crashes or near-misses blamed on fatigue, then cites safety measures implemented around the world, especially in the U.K. In the U.S., however, pilots complain that regulation is lax, with the FAA unable to mandate rest periods even on ultra-long routes. Most airlines contend that fatigue is not caused by the hours spent on the job so much as by pilots' activities while off the clock.